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Well Person Clinics
Mr. Kaufman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total cost to the Exchequer to date of payment by the Benefits Agency for all staff aged 35 years and over to attend private well person clinics ; and how many such staff have to date attended.
Mr. Burt : The Benefits Agency has corporate responsibility for the management and funding of the health screening programme for staff aged 35 years or over.
For reasons of commercial confidentiality, the number of staff examined cannot be given. Up to 31 March 1993, the total cost to the Exchequer was £2.1 million.
PRIME MINISTER
Buses
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Prime Minister if he will commission a study of experience of bus tendering in London, deregulation elsewhere in England and Great Britain and of regulation in Northern Ireland.
The Prime Minister : The Transport Select Committee is currently considering these issues in the context of its inquiry into bus deregulation in London and is taking evidence from a number of sources, including the Government.
Overseas Visits
Mr. Batiste : To ask the Prime Minister what is his policy for taking senior British business representatives with him on official overseas visits.
The Prime Minister : I am firmly committed to taking senior business representatives with me whenever possible when I visit key markets overseas. My recent visits with a business group to India and Saudi Arabia were examples. I intend to build on them. I hope to visit Japan in the Autumn with senior business representatives. My ministerial colleagues also take every opportunity to promote Britain and British goods abroad. They are planning to lead at least 14 missions to 17 countries, to markets as diverse as Ghana, Singapore and Kazakstan this year.
Prerogative Powers
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the groups of actions taken using prerogative powers for which it would incur disproportionately high costs for them to be recorded individually.
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Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to record the occasions on which prerogative powers are used where disproportionate costs would not be involved.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister what prerogative powers have been attenuated by being bought within statute law since 1979.
The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 1 March at column 19 , and to the response of my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Home Department's response to the hon. Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Garrett) on 21 April at column 492. The relationship between statutory and prerogative powers can be very complex. This complexity would mean examination of each section of each Act passed since 1979 in order to determine whether a prerogative power had been brought within statute law. This would be impracticable and would lead to disproportionate cost.
Treaty on European Union
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Prime Minister what consideration was given at the European Council held at Edinburgh in December 1992 to the termination of membership of any member state of the European Community in the event of non-ratification of the treaty on European union.
The Prime Minister : The issue was not considered at the Edinburgh European Council.
Engagements
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 4 May.
The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.
Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 4 May.
The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House I shall be having further meetings later today.
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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Kent Marshes
Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what studies have been carried out into water availability in the north Kent marshes for site of special scientific interest management and environmentally sensitive area implementation ;
(2) what criteria he will employ to decide the priority for water level management on SSSI in north Kent and the creation of new wetland areas under the recently announced environmentally sensitive area.
Mr. Curry : During the preparation of the north Kent marshes environmentally sensitive area (ESA) extensive consultations were carried out on all aspects of the scheme, including the availability and management of water. English Nature was one of the organisations consulted both in respect of the ESA as a whole and the sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) within it. The Ministry will continue to work closely with English Nature to achieve our shared environmental objectives throughout the area.
Dame Peggy Fenner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what financial resources are available to install new drainage structures which will permit raising of ditch water levels in the north Kent marshes environmentally sensitive area.
Mr. Curry : Eighty per cent. grants for the construction of bunds or sluices or other works to control water levels are available to farmers who have land under an environmentally sensitive area agreement. Where schemes are undertaken by drainage bodies grant aid may also be available under the Water Resources Act 1991 and the Land Drainage Act 1991.
Meat Products
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what were the average increases in the retail price of bacon, sausage and other meat-based food products sold in the United Kingdom year on year over the past five years.
Mr. Curry : The annual percentage increases over the last five years in retail prices, as measured by the retail prices index, are given :
Year (change on |Bacon |Other meat products
previous year) |(including
|sausages)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988 |+3.3 |-0.6
1989 |+9.3 |+6.0
1990 |+12.2 |+11.3
1991 |+1.4 |+3.9
1992 |+6.8 |+0.5
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the total amount of bacon, sausage and other meat-based food products (a) exported from and (b) imported into the United Kingdom year on year for the past five years.
Mr. Curry : The figures for trade in all meat preparations--which includes bacon and sausage--during the last five years are as follows :
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Exports Imports
|Weight (MT.)|Value (£m) |Weight (MT.)|Value (£m)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988 |16,817 |33.121 |488,924 |791.763
1989 |18,006 |37.868 |492,847 |936.193
1990 |18,449 |42.357 |481,505 |981.358
1991 |23,398 |54.737 |488,013 |989.969
1992 |27,176 |66.792 |495,577 |1,026.292
Source: Central Statistical Office MA 20 and MM20.
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many companies are involved with the manufacture of bacon, sausage and other meat-based foods in the United Kingdom in total ; and how many of those are based in (a) other EC countries and (b) non-EC countries.
Mr. Curry : Information is not available on the number of companies engaged in these activities or on their distribution according to the domicile of the controlling interest. However, at the end of 1992 there was 637 establishments in the United Kingdom classified as having a principal activity of bacon curing or the manufacture of meat products--heading 4122 of the standard industrial classification, revised 1980.
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what volume of meat foods was manufactured in the United Kingdom in each year since 1988.
Mr. Curry : Comprehensive information on the volume of meat foods manufactured in the United Kingdom is not available. However, the value of sales of meat products by all establishments engaged in their manufacture is available and is shown below :
£ million Year |Volume --------------------- 1988 |2,464 1989 |2,545 1990 |2,723 1991 |2,832 1992 |3,040
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the change in the level of consumption of manufactured meat foods in the United Kingdom in each year since 1988.
Mr. Curry : Information on the level of household consumption of manufactured meat foods--which includes bacon and ham, sausages, pies, canned or cooked meats and other meat products--is available from the national food survey.